Double Crossed

Matthew Avery Sutton's "Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War" explores a little-known chapter of American intelligence history, revealing how Protestant missionaries were recruited into the newly formed Office of Strategic Services, the wartime precursor to the CIA. Sutton, a historian known for his work on American religion and politics, uses this book to examine the uneasy intersection of faith, patriotism, and espionage during a period of global conflict.

The book centers on the argument that missionaries possessed a unique set of qualifications that made them valuable assets for American intelligence gathering. Having spent years living abroad, often in remote or politically sensitive regions of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, these men and women had developed language skills, cultural knowledge, and local relationships that traditional government agents lacked. Sutton demonstrates how figures like William Donovan, the founder of the OSS, recognized this potential and actively sought out missionaries to serve as informants, translators, and operatives.

One of the strengths of Sutton's narrative is his attention to the moral and theological tensions this arrangement created. Missionaries had traditionally understood their calling as one of spiritual service, separate from worldly political concerns. Sutton carefully traces how many missionaries rationalized their shift into espionage, often framing their intelligence work as a natural extension of their religious duty to combat totalitarianism and protect the free exercise of faith. This tension between sacred calling and secular service runs throughout the book and gives it a depth beyond a simple recounting of wartime intrigue.

Sutton draws on extensive archival research, including declassified OSS documents, missionary correspondence, and government records, to reconstruct the experiences of specific individuals who moved between these two worlds. The book profiles several missionaries whose religious networks became conduits for gathering information on Axis movements, local political developments, and potential resistance networks. These case studies humanize the broader historical argument, showing how ordinary religious workers found themselves entangled in matters of national security.

The book also raises important questions about the ethics of using religious institutions for state purposes. Sutton does not shy away from examining the complications this created, both for the individuals involved and for the broader reputation of American missionary work abroad. In some cases, the discovery or suspicion of missionary involvement with intelligence agencies damaged trust between religious organizations and the communities they served, with consequences that extended well beyond the war years. Sutton's treatment of these consequences adds a layer of critical analysis that prevents the book from reading as a straightforward celebration of wartime ingenuity.

Structurally, the book is organized in a way that balances narrative storytelling with historical analysis. Sutton moves between broader context about the formation of the OSS and the global stakes of the war, and more intimate portraits of the missionaries themselves. This approach makes the book accessible to general readers while still offering substantive historical argument for those familiar with the period. The prose is clear and engaging, avoiding excessive jargon while still conveying the complexity of the subject matter.

Some readers may find themselves wanting more sustained analysis of how this missionary-intelligence relationship influenced postwar American foreign policy, particularly given the OSS's later transformation into the CIA. Sutton touches on these long-term implications, but the book's primary focus remains on the wartime period itself. This is not necessarily a shortcoming, but rather an indication of the book's specific scope and ambition.

Overall, "Double Crossed" offers a valuable contribution to the historical understanding of American intelligence operations during the Second World War. It illuminates an overlooked aspect of the relationship between religion and statecraft, showing how faith communities became entangled in geopolitical conflict in ways that were not always fully anticipated or understood by the missionaries themselves. Sutton's careful research and thoughtful analysis make this book a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the history of American espionage, the role of religion in wartime, or the broader question of how institutions adapt when national interest and personal conviction intersect. The book succeeds in complicating simple narratives about missionary work and government service, presenting instead a nuanced picture of individuals navigating genuinely difficult circumstances during one of the twentieth century's most consequential conflicts.